Eleanor of Aquitaine is probably best known for her time as the Queen of England, when she was married to Henry II and the mother of Richard the Lion-Heart. Before that, though, she was also the queen of France and the duchess of major holdings in the Frankish kingdoms on her own accord. This novel explores the earlier period.

The novel begins as her father is visiting the the cathedral in San Juan Capistrano in Barcelona. He has gone to beg forgiveness for the actions he has taken during times of war. Apparently, God is less than willing to accept his apologies because he stops for a fish dinner along the way and ends up dying at the cathedral from food poisoning. This leaves his 15-year-old daughter Eleanor in charge of Aquitaine and a few other small holdings.

Since this was the Middle Ages, few men expected that she would be able to control the lands, and Eleanor knows the she will be beset by no shortage of suitors who would hope to not only have her hand but her dowry. Eleanor, fortunately, is better suited for the role of leadership than she most would expect. She decides to make a preemptive strike and chose which man will be her husband in the hopes of maintaining control of her lands. She chooses, Louis, the dauphin and future King Louis VII the Pious. He is one of the two strongest options.

Unfortunately, her selection foes not go quite as well as she had hoped. Louis became the next in line for the throne when his older brother died, forcing him to leave the priesthood to take on a more political role. Even when he becomes king, he has little desire to leave his faith behind. This results in a fairly pale relationship, both romantically and as a couple in general.

Eleanor finds herself being pulled into the more staid French court of Paris and away from her more lively, if risque court, in Aquitaine. She is forced to give up her jongleur and take on the more traditional and prim role of a French lady.

When Louis decides to take up the Cross in order to regain the Frankish kingdoms in the Holy Land through his own Crusade, Eleanor joins him. It is a journey that will not only prove to be a military failure, but highlight the ultimate failure of their marriage. She has an opportunity to see what true romance can be before losing a child that could have been the male heir they have been seeking for years.

The resulting rift encourages Eleanor to look toward finding a way to annul her marriage and seek out another husband. This time she hopes it will be one that will allow her to be the strong woman that she is.

I have always found Eleanor of Aquitaine to be an incredibly interesting historical figure. She was very intelligent and had a strong grasp of strategy. In many ways, if Louis had listened to her and allowed her to be a partner in his ruling of France, he would have been a better leader. Of course, he was biased by his times, and she was forced to find a different path to follow.

Ball does a really great job of presenting for the reader the strengths as well as the inner doubts held by Eleanor. She becomes more than a historical figure, taking on the role of regular human being trying to make the most of a number of very trying situations.

The novel is rich with historical details and seems to do what it can to stick to historical accuracy. Readers will definitely want to be interested in that or they will feel a bit bogged down by it. Those looking for pure fact can find it in Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life by Alison Weir. With that said, this novel is just as good.

My only disappointment was in finding out that there wasn't a sequel that would continue her story as she becomes the wife of King Henry II of England.